Those Monkeys Need More Training!

I truly love mountains, hills, sand dunes, anything that goes "bump" in the geography.


Since it is so grim and gray out, I thought I would go to California for today's tea. It is from TBar part of the Far Western Trading Company. It is Lou's Leaves, Monkey Picked Chinese Black Tea. It originally came from Nan Ping County in Fujian Province, in the heart of the misty mountains. To break down the name a bit for you, apparently Lou, whoever that is, selects certain teas as being of better or more distinct quality. According to legend, monkeys were trained to pick tea leaves from the high branches of very old tea trees or from ones that had grown out of cliff faces. I have never seen any real proof of this, but some Chinese seem to think if something is monkey picked it is better. I have some herbal remedies that sport this claim.

When I opened the packet, I was pleased to see some nice long twisted black leaves, with an abundance of gold buds and gold dust from the fine hairs on them. The tea smelled very similar to a Yunnan - that special combination of fresh, wind-blown wash and old wood in the sun. I brewed up about a teaspoon with boiling water for almost 4 minutes. The taste was smooth and sweet, with a subtle, almost Yunnan taste, minus the pepperiness of a really good one. Sadly, it was on the thin side and really no better than ho-hum.


Some legends have at least a kernel of truth in them. In our Scottish family, those of us who have the legend of "Matchless Martha" Mansfield McDuffee as saviour of Londonderry, N Ireland when it was under siege in 1695ish have so far proven to be the descendants of her and her husband, John McDuffee. She allegedly had squirreled away a quantity of meal that she brought out at just the right time to carry them through until help arrived. If nothing else, it's fun to think we have a heroine in the family

Japan Goes Black

My favorite monastery courtyard and tower, in Sorrento, Italy. The
pillars are all taken from defunct monasteries. Now, that's recycling!



The trees are already starting to lose their leaves. Two of them down the road have lost at least half. The farmer has gotten a third cutting of hay and his corn is beginning to move towards harvest color. It didn't get very big, due to the dryness. Fall is definately let us know it's lurking.



For the past week the blue jays and crows have been incredibly noisy, for what seems like hours. Their constant raucous cries have really gotten annoying. I haven't heard much from any song birds. I guess now that the young are raised, they may be off to more fertile climates. Or they are getting ready to leave. I saw one of those huge flocks birds make when they begin to head South. It always amazes me when they can wheel in near-formation. They are amazing creatures.



After a week of very high temperatures, today is quite different. Instead of being over 90, it may not even reach 70. The wind is blowing and the sky is gray instead of what has seemed like an oppressive blue. An ideal time for....You guessed it, TEA. And do I have tea. Yesterday I received 3 different lots. Two I had purchased and one was a gift of samples from the Boston Tea Company. The big problem now will be which to choose. I think I am going to go with a Japanese black tea.



I would bet you thought I made a mistake - Japan doesn't make black tea. Well, apparently they do. A new-to-me company in California, Far West Trading Company carries it under their T Bar brand. It is called Kocha. Cha is tea in Japanese, so ko must be black, as in kohl, which is used as eye liner. The company is located in Graton, CA, in Sonoma County, which is more famous for wine.


But on to the tea itself. The dry leaves are very black, tiny and with a lot of dust. I don't know if this is travel fatigue or just the way it is. They have an intense, sweet nutty smell, perhaps closest to hazelnut. There is also a strong scent of cooked squash. Both these aromas lasted all the way through the first and second cups. The directions say to brew for 1-3 minutes, with water just under the boil. Well, I decided to do all three, pouring out a cup at each minute mark.

The first was pretty bland and quite bitter. The second tasted more of squash than nuts, with a bitter edge. The third, brewed for 3 minutes was, for me, the best. The bitterness had disappeared and the nuttiness and squash seemed to have found their places, with the nuttiness most forward. There was also an understorey of clean earthiness, almost an old woody quality.
While this was very interesting, I don't think it will ever be a favorite, but I would probably serve it with a Chinese meal - I don't know how to cook Japanese, except for sukiyaki, with which this would go well.